1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a protection device for protecting apparatus against overpressure in a fluid feeding the apparatus. The invention also relates to a subassembly including said protection device and enabling a tank for storing hydrogen under pressure to be coupled to a fuel cell forming part of self-contained equipment for supplying electricity.
2. Description of the Related Art
Fuel cells producing electricity from hydrogen and oxygen can take oxygen from the air of the atmosphere, for example. The hydrogen fed to the fuel cell must come from a source or from a storage tank, from which it is conveyed by a delivery duct. If overpressure should occur in the hydrogen in the delivery duct, then there is a risk of damaging the fuel cell, unless an overpressure protection device has been provided upstream from the cell.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,424,194 and 3,228,417 disclose associating a pressure regulator with a protection device for providing protection against overpressure at the outlet from the regulator. In those systems, the pressure regulator is provided with a first shutter connected to a first diaphragm, while the protection device is provided with a second shutter connected to a second diaphragm. If overpressure occurs, each of the diaphragms is driven and acts via connection elements to displace each of the shutters towards a position for shutting a through hole. In those systems, two distinct equipment series act respectively on the first shutter and on the second shutter in order to cause them to move towards their respective shut positions, which limits the reactivity of the system against overpressure. Furthermore, such systems are bulky and heavy, which constitutes a drawback when the apparatus that is to be protected against overpressure forms part of equipment that is self-contained and portable. 